Arts

In our Instagram world, it is rare to come across a piece of art which clearly and deliberately took many painstaking hours to create, but Albuquerque is privileged to exhibit such a work for the next five years. Andrew Wyeth's “Karl,” an egg tempura painting lent by a private curator, is now on display at the Albuquerque Museum (2000 Mountain NW).

Wyeth is one of the most popular US painters of the last century, known for his dark, somber themes and intricately detailed work. “Karl,” the portrait of a German immigrant farmer, follows suit. The painting causes the audience's eyes to focus on every last color and wrinkle in this man's face, while necessarily noting the dramatic meat hooks on the ceiling. The piece moves audiences to an appreciation of its eeriness and depth.

The portrait is displayed between notable work “A Shower in a Dry Year,” by Peter Hurd, Wyeth's brother-in-law, and the work of Wyeth's sister, Henriette Wyeth. This classic representation of American art can be viewed at the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History located on 19th Street and Mountain NW in Old Town.